Raven's Eye

The Haida Nation maintain closure of the commercial herring fishery in its waters to allow time to address long-term management and conservation of herring stocks, a press release reads. The closure does not affect the traditional roe-on-kelp fishery. A letter to the nation from Fisheries and Oceans Canada shows the new federal government is onside with the plan.

A recent study that indicates First Nations fisheries’ catch could decline as much as 50 per cent by 2050 due to climate change is just one more factor that will impact food and economic security for British Columbia’s coastal First Nations.

The findings of the study, conducted by scientists with the Nereus Program, an international research team led by scientists at the University of…

First Nations leaders in British Columbia offered the Trudeau government their support to implement an oil tanker moratorium on the province’s north coast.

“A federal moratorium would protect not only the ocean, but also our lands, freshwater and the plants, animals and communities that depend on them,” said Chief Stanley Thomas of Saik’uz First Nation, a member of the six-nation Yinka…

On Nov. 23, the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, on behalf of all Gitanyow, filed an application for a court order to require Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Steve Thomson to comply with his obligations under provincial legislation to manage wildlife in the Nass area of British Columbia in Gamlaxyeltxw v. Minister of FLNRO

A B.C. developer and First Nation are asking the provincial ombudsperson to investigate the government’s apparent failure to recognize the historical value of what is believed to be an ancestral cemetery.

Corpus Management Group claims that the provincial ministry of forests, lands and natural resource operations failed to grant historical status to the site, which is understood to be a…

The Haida Nation passed a resolution demanding that the mass export of fossil fuel through its territory be prohibited. Kil tlaats ‘gaa Peter Lantin, president of the Haida Nation, said that if LNG is developed on the north coast we could see large LNG tankers passing through Haida territorial waters. Presently there are no adequate provincial or federal emergency response systems in…

Northern British Columbia First Nations leaders, scientists, business owners, unions, university groups, and faith groups have signed on to a letter written by Lax Kw’alaams Hereditary Chief Yahaan (Donnie Wesley) calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna to reject the Pacific Northwest (PNW) LNG plant proposed for Lelu Island and Flora Bank, and to…

The First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance wants progress on the implementation of the Cohen Commission recommend-ations. It has asked the newly-appointed Fisheries and Oceans Minister Hunter Tootoo for a meeting to discuss “the minimal returns of this year’s wild salmon runs in BC” and “risks to wild salmon habitat.”

The Tsilhqot’in communities of Yunesit’in, Xeni Gwet’in, and Tl’esqox (Toosey) have united with the St’át’imc Nation to close the South Chilcotin to industrial logging. The area of specific concern is the Red Mountain – Churn Creek corridor where there are dozens of mule deer migration trails, integral to the annual migration between the Fraser River and South Chilcotin Park. Tolko’s logging…

Esquimalt First Nations Chief Andrew Thomas and his wife, Mary Anne, have been charged with animal cruelty. It is alleged by the BC SPCA that the couple failed to provide veterinary care for their dog Chewy, a Shih tzu, causing pain, suffering or injury to an animal and neglecting or failing to provide necessities. In July, the BC SPCA responded to a call about a dog tethered outside a home,…

The 22-year-old male who died after he injured 11 people at the office of Bridge River Indian Band was overwhelmed by his life and lashed out, said Chief Susan James. She said band staff were working to find stable housing and a way to pay his rent. He walked into the band office and began attacking people with a weapon, and was subdued. Two victims were sent to hospital where they were in…

British Columbia has responded to the failures of the Ministry of Children and Family Development as outlined in the report Paige’s Story from the Representative for Children and Youth. Paige was a 19-year-old Aboriginal girl living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside when a drug overdose caused her death. “But it was actually years of abuse and neglect, persistent inaction from front-line…

A land transfer agreement through an incremental treaty with British Columbia supports cultural, social and economic opportunities for the Haisla Nation. Under the agreement, about 120 hectares of Crown land will be transferred to the Haisla. The land lies in the heart of Haisla territory between Kitamaat Village and Walth reserve on the Douglas Channel, and will connect the two reserves. The…

National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence Wade Davis said First Nations taking part in the tourism industry could revolutionize the sector by promoting a more substantial appreciation of cultural diversity. Davis gave the keynote address at the second annual Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism and Trade Conference mid-September, which brings together groups of the Pacific Ocean to strategize on…

An archeologist who has studied the Coast Salish village site at Dionisio Point on Galiano Island has dispelled the belief that First Nation people travelled great distances for the volcanic rock they used for tools. The study instead says the people just used the rock that washed up on their shores. Colin Grier, associate professor at Washington State University, said his team picked up some…